Fragmented Hearts
by girlwithgauges
Summary: The Keyblade, a mysterious weapon that can eradicate beings of darkness. A weapon of good that can rid evil. But what if things weren't so black and white? Xenosa is a mysterious addition to the trio of friends- one which brings confusing events to light. Where did she come from? Who is she? Even she doesn't know. But most importantly, why can she suddenly wield a Keyblade?
1. Chapter 1

**Fragmented Hearts; Prolouge**

* * *

A girl strode slowly across the sandy beach, strands of her light blue hair fluttering slightly in the cool night breeze. The air was refreshing against her light-toned complexion, the moon illuminating her skin and surroundings in a florescent glow. Her eyes were closed, dark lashes resting on her freckle-dusted cheeks, a faint blush residing from the chill. She had no idea why she was walking, or why she was there, for that matter; but it felt right, the island felt like home. Although she knew, deep within her, the island wasn't familiar. She knew she'd never been here before.

The tranquility of having nothing she could remember was slightly unsettling, but it didn't bother her. Why should it? She felt no fear, so there was no reason to panic. She knew was here, in a calm, pretty island town for a reason. Peace coursed through her veins, the soothing sound of waves crashing against the beach fueling the image of a perfect place. It felt too perfect, too peaceful to be true.

She opened her eyes, ones of deep green that clashed against her blue locks but worked, in a strange way. The area surrounding her really _was_ pretty. The sand was of a pearly color, connecting with an ocean so blue it seemed artificial, glittering from the moonlight. Palm trees dotted the beach, the leaves swaying in the gentle wind. Far away from where she was, a small island sat in the middle of the ocean, isolated from civilization, shaded by large trees and what seemed like makeshift wooden beams and hideaways. A few boats connected to a pier facing the island; they seemed small and rickety, the slight waves making them bump into the wooden beams of the pier every so often. A bird chirped from a palm tree nearby; almost like a bird's rendition of a lullaby.

The girl almost didn't notice somebody approach her from behind, lost in calamity. She spun as the figure reached her; it was a girl, looking around the age of thirteen, maybe fourteen at most- around her age. Her vivid red hair was short, ending abruptly at her chin, framing her almond-shaped face. She was wearing a black tank underneath a white one, a simple purple miniskirt barely showing any curves of her as of yet undeveloped body. The girl sported a simple, thick black choker and a pretty teardrop charm hanging from a silver chain. Beaming blue eyes stared in slight confusion, although she was smiling slightly, kindness radiating from her face.

She couldn't help but think that the redhead standing in front of her gave out a sense of purity.

"Who're you?" The girl asked, her hands innocently placed behind her back. "I don't think I've seen you here before."

The green eyed girl frowned, eyebrows furrowing, craning her neck to the side. "...Xenosa." Yes. That was her name- it seemed to be the only thing she could recall. The other girl grinned, holding her hand out.

"I'm Kairi." Xenosa shook her hand, the sensation slightly alien. "So, what brings you to Destiny Islands?"

"Is that the name of this place?" She inquired, looking towards the houses and other areas. Kairi nodded in response. "Fitting. Honestly, I don't know. I woke up here, and that's all I remember."

"So you've lost your memories?" Kairi put her finger to her rosy lips, seemingly in deep thought. "Come with me. I have some friends you might want to meet. They may be able to help."

Xenosa cocked her head to the side, wondering whether she should go with the girl or not. She seemed nice enough, but...

"Come on, it's only Sora and Riku. If they give you any trouble I'll just hit them with a log or something." Kairi chuckled, smiling that warming smile again. "We can take you to the mayor, maybe he can see if somebody recognizes you. If not; you can stay with us until you figure out something. Okay?"

She bit her lip, studying the girl. After all, she hadn't given her any reason _not _to trust her.

"Okay."


	2. Chapter 2

_**Fragmented Hearts; Chapter I**_

* * *

_Darkness doesn't always equate to evil._

_Just like Light doesn't always walk hand in hand with purity._

* * *

Xenosa laid on the familiar sandy beach, feeling the sun's rays penetrate her pale skin, eyes closed peacefully. It was one of the rare moments when Sora and Riku weren't sparring, or racing, or something childish like that. Like always, the sky was clear, only a couple of clouds dotting against the clear blue. The only sound that could be heard was the one of the soothing waves near her feet, crashing into the sand...

The illusion was shattered as the sound of presumably two immature guys laughing and heavy shoes crashing against the sand broke though the silence, leaving her to open her eyes in annoyance, rolling them impassively. A few grains of sand moved around her hair as she yawned loudly.

Craning her neck slightly to face the boys, she saw a blur of brown before the brunette slid down next to her, a split second before the silver-haired teen took his other side, both of them panting heavily, a slight sheen dusting Sora's forehead. They didn't seem at all bothered by the glare she was giving them; they both had grins plastered on their faces, cheeks dusted pink.

"I won!" Sora beat his chest proudly, smiling cockily at Riku. The latter just laid down on the sand, rather close to the girl, closing his eyes before laughing slightly, his head tilted up towards the sun, his mouth twisted into a smirk.

"I'll get you next time." Riku rebutted. "When you least expect it."

"No fair! The last time that happened I had to go home in dripping wet clothes..." The brunette pouted, shaking his head, causing spiked locks to bounce around faintly.

"You had to interrupt my peace for this?" Xenosa sighed, tucking a stray piece of pastel blue hair behind her ear. "I swear, you two..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sora crossed his arms, receiving an abrupt giggle from the girl.

"Oh, nothing..." Xenosa propped herself up on the heels of her hand, tilting her head back slightly. "Either of you two dimwits seen Kairi?"

"I think I saw her on the other half of the island. Why?" Riku replied, opening one of his eyes to look at her. The older teen brushed off the insult, unlike Sora, who was protesting _rather _loudly about how he was not a 'dimwit'.

"Well, if we're going to be leaving on the raft tomorrow, we need to get things sorted, _don't we_?" She stood up, brushing the sand that had collected off of her white dress, a pretty thing that was one of her only possessions that remained of her past life. That, and a single, fully black teardrop charm- similar to Kairi's. The dress started with a thin strap around her neck then leaving her back bare, covering the front, tucking in at the waist only to flow out in various thin layers and ending in the middle of her thigh. It was decorated with a variety of belt buckles and straps, all crisscrossing and merging in certain sections. Kairi had made a dress similar, just more plain and very _pink._

After she had received a murmur in reply, she left the boys to do whatever they needed to do and headed off for the small rickety wooden door leading to the other side of the island. She was slightly doubting her decision to leave; the island where they all lived was idyllic, and perfect- yet it _was_ all she'd ever known. Xenosa _yearned_ for more. Most people, like the ones who lived in the village a short way from the island, didn't indulge in such thoughts. She was _not _one of them.

Sure, she'd only been living there two years now. Sure, it was perfect in every way. But it was starting to feel stale, the beauty cracking around the edges.

There _must _be more out there... Waiting for the four of them to find, explore, and live in the moment.

The idea of leaving on a raft started one summer night, a couple months previous. Xenosa was laying against the single paopu tree on the sandy pier, one arm behind her head for support, while Riku was sitting down next to her, his back against the tree. They were both staring out at the sea, silent but with no necessity to change it. Kairi and Sora had already gone home, and the sun was beginning to set, crimson and yellow rays reflecting over the calm sea, rippled waves brushing against the small island they were on. An island that, ever since she'd arrived two years before, the four visited frequently.

Xenosa was beginning to drift off to sleep when Riku stood up abruptly, nearly making her fall off the branch in surprise. She managed to catch herself, however, and barely missed falling into the sea. _Luckily. _She was about to scold Riku, like she did often, but stopped when she saw a strange glint in his eyes. Xenosa cocked her head as Riku just stared at her, a massive grin plastered onto his face.

"Xen... Let's get off this island." He spoke eventually, his face rather close to hers. She frowned in response, shaking her head.

"How?"

"We'll find a way. Haven't we talked about this before? Getting off this boring island?" Riku took her hands in his, and Xenosa could tell by his expression that he was dead serious. Whenever Riku set his mind to something, he never changed it. Or stopped thinking about it, for that matter.

"Well, yes, but.." She started, then stopped. Getting off the island did seem like a good idea, the more she thought about it. Maybe she just didn't want to admit it to herself. And, although it was a little far fetched...

"But what? We'll never know by staying here." Riku grinned, knowing that he was starting to convince the girl. He knew her too well _not _to.

"What brought this on, Riku?"

"It's just... I've always wondered why we're here on this island. If there are any other worlds out there, why did we end up on this one? And suppose there are other worlds... Then ours is just a little piece of something much greater. So, we could have just as easily ended up somewhere else, right? So why not go see what's out there."

"You've been thinking about this a lot, haven't you?" Xenosa grinned back, giving in, her mossy-green eyes sparkling. "Alright. Let's do it."

The memory left her feeling a sense of happiness. The gleam in his eyes - she'd never seen one like it before. Riku was obviously not as happy as he could be, stuck here. Maybe leaving would be better, after all. Seeing Riku happy made _her_ happy. As he rarely seemed it anymore...

"Xenosa!"

A familiar voice called out and she was pulled from reminiscing about Riku by a very energetic Kairi running towards her. Xenosa hadn't even noticed that she'd walked all the way over to the other side of the island; She really needed to pay more attention. Lately she'd been drifting, lost in thought and strangely unguarded.

"I really can't believe we're leaving tomorrow... It seems to surreal..." Kairi smiled, a blush forming on her cheeks. "I made everybody something for the trip..." The redhead held out her hand to show four paopu-tree charms resting in her hand, each of them a different color.

"This is yours. Sailors used to make them - good luck charms." Kairi thrust a pale blue charm into Xenosa's hand, a chain embedded in the end of it. "I thought they'd be a nice leaving present.."

"I-I'm speechless, Kairi..." She attached the charm onto one of the various dark belts on her dress, letting it dangle at the side on her waist. The blue-haired girl smiled widely at the thought that must have gone into it, enveloping Kairi in a hug. It sparkled in the sunlight brilliantly as she moved.

"Well, you can repay me by getting the last of the supplies that we need!" Kairi announced after Xenosa let her go, putting her hands behind her back, her long red hair shining as she moved.

She groaned in retaliation. "_How _did I know that there was going to be a catch to your kindness?"

"Hey," Kairi pouted, "all you have to get is some more water and mushrooms. Then we _finally _have everything. Please?"

The girl rolled her eyes, taking the water container and bag from Kairi. "I'll be back soon..."

Kairi squealed in glee and wrapped her arms around an irritated Xenosa. She then turned off in the direction of the raft, skipping as she went. _She really can be annoying. But.. She's Kairi. Part of her charm._

-o-

Xenosa skimmed her hands along the walls of the secret place, feeling a sense of nostalgia from the carvings and crayon drawings hidden there. The cold, bumpy rocks held tales of faraway lands they'd imagined, others timeless memories. When she caught sight of one of them - which was fairly recent - she chuckled to herself and knelt down. On a pale stone was a carving of Kairi and Sora exchanging a paopu fruit; the girl's rendition of Sora much neater than his attempt at Kairi, however. God knows why the two hadn't realized the inevitable; they were perfect for each other. It was blatantly obvious that they had the hots for one another, it only growing stronger by the day.

Maybe leaving the island would give them a push in the right direction, hopefully. It was frankly annoying that they didn't act on their attraction. Both her and Riku felt the same, almost growing tired of the lovesick glances.

She was about to leave and wave farewell to the secret place, since it may very well be the last time she'd ever see it again, when a sharp chill ran through her spine, spreading over her arms and to her fingertips. The sensation leaving her breathless, she turned around, only to be faced with a mysterious guy in a robe. His face was completely covered, and seemed to be slouching; she could sense something wrong. Just like the night she arrived she could sense Kairi's purity; this figure seemed to be radiating the opposite. There was no mistaking that he was facing Xenosa though, and she stepped back cautiously.

"Hello?" She called out, squinting from the lack of light. No matter how hard she tried, she still couldn't make out his face, almost as if he didn't have one. It was just _black._

"I've come to see the door to this world."

"What the hell? You're really creeping me out. Standing there- looking as if you're going to murder me any second- not exactly pleasant." She frowned, crossing her arms over her chest.

"The darkness is strong from this world. But... So is the light. Co-existing. A very disturbing revelation." The figure's deep voice echoed around the cave, a husky undertone to his voice. He was making no sense. How could this world be _dark?_

"I'm out of here.." Xenosa turned to walk away, but was interrupted by the guy yet again.

"There is so very much to learn. You understand so little."

"Are... You calling me stupid?" The girl growled, stepping closer to the figure. He didn't even flinch.

"One who knows nothing can understand nothing. Oh, but all will be revealed soon..."

"You better start making sense before I..." Xenosa trailed off, realizing that once again the secret place was empty, the usual breeze swaying through the cracks in the rock, whistling slightly. "Oh."

_Who was that guy?_

_-o-_

_A long tendril of darkness materialized at her feet, smoking and withering around her body, almost like it seeped from her pores, at one with her. The darkness was slowly taking the form of a creature with piercing yellow eyes. Long, sharp antennas protruded from its head, it slivering around as it awaited orders from its creator. It looked up and paused, as she smiled. With a flick of her wrist, she sent the creature hurdling at one of it's own. Another creature of darkness. Yet, he had a mind of his own. He was different. Maybe he was a real person before. She didn't know, and she didn't care. Humanity made people weak. It ultimately led people to the fate this person was in right now._

_Her fully black eyes glowed as she sent more at him, ignoring his threats, threats turning to pleas, pleas turning to silence. He didn't stand a chance against her. Nobody did._

_Embracing evil was the best choice she'd ever done._

_Right as she was about to finish the weakling off, something engulfed her, something impeccably bright, making her skin burn and sizzle. She howled in pain, dropping to the floor._

_Her._

_She ruined everything..._

_-o-_

Xenosa shot up in bed, panting heavily, her hair clinging to her damp forehead. She could feel the weight of the non-existent tendrils of darkness still clinging to her arms from the dream. She shuddered, wiping her arms in frustration, recalling how _evil _she felt... This was just too... weird. That guy from earlier was probably making her paranoid. That was a perfectly reasonable explanation.

A sharp crackle of lightning shot her out of her thoughts, and her eyes darted over to her window, the constant sound of rain drumming against it almost calming. A couple of seconds passed before she realized there was a storm over the small island - exactly where their raft was situated.

"Fuck!" She shot out of bed, grabbing her chunky boots, being more durable and the nearest ones to her. Xenosa spotted her dress hanging over a chair; she shrugged out of her pajamas, finishing with an over-sized grey hoodie for warmth. She pulled the hood up, almost covering her face before quietly pulling her window open, flinching at the rain that battered against her. Taking in a deep breath, scanning behind her to make sure she hadn't woken anybody, she climbed through the frame, lowering herself down onto the edge of the window-sill, her legs danging freely. Gritting her teeth she half-jumped, half-fell and managed to grab onto a nearby pipe without making too much noise, albeit bashing her arm, hard, against the brick wall. After making sure she was at a safe height to jump down, she did, cursing when she almost slipped over. Pulling the hood further over her rain-soaked face, she ran in the direction of her small boat, not fully realizing that the other three boats were missing from their docks.

-o-

Xenosa's narrowed green eyes scanned the beach when she arrived, instantly noticing all three boats were tied to the small wooden pier, the inhabitants seemingly missing. How she missed the fact they weren't in their original places, she didn't know, but her priority was to find the other three, make sure they were unharmed. The storm had worsened on her way to the island, a fact she soon realized as she barely missed a plank of wood flying nearby her head, millimeters from grazing her face. It was making her hard to see, but as she moved further up the beach an unmistakable blur of spiked grey hair caught her attention- he was standing on the pier, staring into nothing, apparently unaffected by what was going on around him. Breaking out into a sprint, she grabbed onto the ledge of the beach-hut and pulled herself up, running across the wooden planks and reaching Riku. He was standing next to the battered paopu tree, motionless. He had his back to her, and appeared to be looking out into the ocean, like they used to do as a source of serenity. Now, though, it wasn't fitting. Lifting her arm up to try and free her eyes from the rain, she focused on Riku. Or his back, anyway.

"Riku! What are you doing out here?!" Xenosa shouted, her voice ragged, slightly muffing through the amount of rain that was falling around them. Tendrils of blue stuck to her face, darkened from the rain, and her clothes were soaked, clinging to her skin. The silver-haired seen slowly turned around, his cyan eyes unfocused, the playful grin that never failed to be on his face had disappeared into a thin line. She faltered, stepping back an inch, her soaked boots squeaking against the ground. _This isn't Riku.._

"The door has opened..."

"Where's Kairi? And Sora?" Xenosa questioned, hoping Riku heard her through the wind that was currently battering her ears, as she could barely hear herself. His expression never changed, his eyes glossed over like he was in a dream, still staring towards the sky. Part of her hoped this wasn't a dream; but it felt too real. It felt slightly familiar, strangely, making her head throb.

"We can go to other worlds..."

"Riku! Snap out of it! We need to find Sora and Kairi!" She begged, taking a step towards Riku. Xenosa stopped, however, when she saw a faint black glow begin to radiate from the boy.

"They're coming with us! This may be our only chance; I'm afraid of the darkness." Riku seemed to snap out of his daze and speak clearly and loudly, standing up straight and extending his hand, looking down slightly so his gaze connected with hers. His menacing gaze, void of any trace of kindness. Reluctantly, Xenosa stepped forward only to realize that the faint dark glow pouring from Riku was materializing, climbing up his legs and spreading across the floor towards her. It reminded her of the sick dream, only this time it wasn't her, it was her best friend. He didn't seem to care that he was being swallowed, didn't seem to care as the tendrils caressed his face, dissolving his body...

"What the.. hell?" Xenosa's eyes widened as she watched the darkness begin to spread over her feet. She tried to step forward but realized she was rooted to the spot, the darkness clinging to her, dragging her down. Riku was still staring at her, completely calm compared to her incessant panicking. Moving her arms, she tried to grab his hand, but was slightly too far away. She was so close, so close to grabbing onto his hand...

She yelped as the darkness spread over her face, concealing her face achingly slowly.

Xenosa was met with a burst of blinding light, evaporating the darkness that clung to her body, the pressure retracting away. As her vision cleared, the first thing she noticed was that Riku had disappeared, the space where he had been standing empty. The second thing, was that small, bouncing blobs of darkness stood in front of her, _exactly _like her dream, just less menacing, was withering into the ground, popping back up into a three dimensional form every so often. They all had piercing yellow eyes, which seemed to glint with rage, the only thing discernible in a sea of black. Out of nowhere, one of them flung itself at her, scratching her cheek rather deeply, the place where it's claws dug stinging like they'd been laced with poison. Xenosa cried out in pain, wiping the blood off her cheek, feeling it dribble down to her chin. All of the other 'creatures' suddenly turned what seemed like their heads to face her, as another jumped at her, it's sharp claws ready to dig into whatever flesh they could get. In retaliation, she kicked it square in the eyes, watching it wisp away into darkness.

The third thing she noticed was that she storm had picked up.

"That was easy enough..." The girl smirked, raising her fists. "Do any of you other freaky things want to try me?"

A light flashed, momentarily blinding her- as soon as it had arrived, however, it had gone, and it was replaced with something heavy in her hand, almost making her topple to the side with it's weight. When the blue-haired girl looked down, she saw a rather large key-like object and gasped in surprise, admiring it.

It felt strangely familiar, almost like it was normal to have this sort of weapon in her head, all this time she'd lost a part of herself and this was it returning to her, filling her with power.

It was a completely black weapon, with jagged edges swirling around the handle. It started out like a sword, but near the end jagged points stuck out to make a _very _good thing to deal some damage with. Swinging it, testing its range, she accidentally hit one of the moving shadows on the head, sending it flying before it evaporated into nothingness. Smirking, she got into a fighting stance and waited for the creature's move.

Like clockwork, they all in turn launched themselves at her, a swarm of black and yellow, the girl retaliating by swinging the weapon forcefully into their bodies, enjoying the thrill that came with each of their bodies evaporating into thin air. One of the shadows tried to sneak at the side, but was unable to dodge the key, momentarily stunned before Xenosa finished it off in a flash. When they'd all gone, she looked back at her weapon again, cocking her head in thought. She was panting lightly, droplets of water continuing to drop off her head in a steady manner as the rain continued to plummet, wind whipping around her.

'_Keyblade...'_

"This is.. a keyblade?"

Another pounced at her and she attempted to push it off but it dug into her arms, drawing a scream from her lips. She felt the Keyblade disappear from her grasp from the surprise, the loss of it so profound it stunned her. They soon swarmed at her feet and the girl flinched, closing her eyes tightly and expecting pain but none came. When she opened them, a panting Kairi was standing in front of her, a weapon similar to her Keyblade in her hand, hair dripping wet even with the hood of her dress pulled up. The weapon was an unusual one, the handle a long pole with two pieces of metal shaped and curved into a heart, a small chain hanging off the edge with a paopu fruit hanging from the edge. Vines from the makeshift heart curled around the middle, extending to a key-like end, flowers decorating the hilt. While Xenosa's seemed dark, powerful and strong, Kairi's seemed dainty, pretty yet deadly.

"Are you okay?" Kairi pressed, her blue eyes wide and worried. Although she could still feel the rain pattering against the wounds in her arm, Xenosa nodded, looking to the weapon. "Before you ask, I _don't know. _I-I was looking for Sora, and, wait, have you seen Riku? I can't find either of them anywhere-"

"Keyblade." Xenosa stated, ignoring Kairi's question.

The redhead frowned, lifting her weapon up slightly as she glanced at it. "What?"

"It's a Keyblade." Before she could summon her own, however, a sharp pain radiated through Xenosa's head and she fell to the ground, unconscious.

-o-

"Uhh..." She groaned, rolling over onto her back. She could feel the wind battering into her body, almost blocking out all of her hearing, various wounds on her body stinging intensely. She could still feel the fresh blood on her arms and cheek. A pounding headache made it hard for her to stay conscious, but she fought the drowsiness and attempted to open her eyes and sit up.

To which she instantly regretted that decision.

Most of the island had disappeared, only leaving a small piece of sand where she was currently sitting. From what she could see, a massive black _ball _towered over her, sucking the island right into it. As she watched, frozen from the sight, planks of wood and branches swirled around her and got sucked into the hole, disappearing completely. When she looked back down however, she left out a strangled gasp. Right across from her was a gigantic creature with those exact same yellow eyes that she'd seen prior, but instead of being less than a quarter of the size of Luna, this was at least four times taller than her. And it looked _pissed,_ stomping around like it was looking for a target. Within a couple of seconds it noticed her and made it's way towards the figure.

She narrowly avoided a fatal attack by rolling out of the way, but the action sent a wave of dizziness her way, her head still painful. Fighting it off, she struggled to her feet, noticing any and all traces of Kairi had gone. All that was left was the small patch of ground her and the being was standing on; one or two small palm trees were sticking out of the ground, leaves flapping around in the storm and a bush sat near the edge of the patch of ground they were on, barely holding on to the small amount of ground that was left. The town had disappeared. The ocean had _gone_.

_'Keyblade..._'

There was only one clear way to fight the thing in front of her... Closing her eyes, she willed the weapon to appear in her hand. _The creature stepped closer._ Imagined the feel of the metal between her fingers. _The creature raised both of its arms._ The power sizzling through her blood... _The creature brought it's arms down._

Xenosa opened her eyes, the black Keyblade springing to life, sending a burst of energy outwards. This visibly stunned the _thing, _and she took the opportunity to take a few hits at it. Swinging with all her might, she brought the Keyblade down repeatedly, but to no avail. Nothing was affecting it, the blows doing _nothing._

A sudden memory clicked in her head, stunning and vivid, full of colour. She was somewhere bright, with a lot of white, a memory of when she was young- maybe eight or nine years old, give or take. She was outside, sitting on vibrant green grass, surrounded by three figures. A teenage woman with blue hair, similar to hers but darker, dueled with a man around her age, his hair a dark brown. They were fighting, but both smiling. Xenosa turned to the boy next to her; he looked younger than the other two but with a startling similarity to Sora, except with blonde hair. He smiled at her awe.

_"They've been training so hard to become Keyblade Masters... One day, we'll all be Masters. Protecting people."_

The blue haired woman flipped in the air, over the stunned man, and pushed her Keyblade lightly into his back, grinning as he slumped in defeat, his Keyblade disappearing.

_"I won!"_ She giggled, turning to the young girl, her bright blue eyes sparkling._ "See, Xenosa? You have to surprise the enemy. Do the unexpected. Always look for their weak spot."_

The soft, kind voice echoed in mind and she took took the risk, running at the creature and jumping onto its arm, bracing herself as it moved to try and get her to fall off. It went to swing for her, it's claws ready, but she was too quick and ran up the length of it's arm, whacking it's head a few times before plunging the Keyblade into a spot above it's ear, smiling as it stilled, going limp.

'_Always look for a weak spot. Everybody has one. It's just the matter of finding it.'_

What she didn't account for, however, was that it would have the same fate as all the other creature's she'd killed. That thought never occurred to her, but now she felt dense for not realizing it.

The shoulder that she had been standing on evaporated, it's body turning into mere black smoke and she landed hard on the sand with a thud, blacking out for the second time that night, her Keyblade loudly clattering to the ground next to her before disappearing into thin air, only leaving behind a few sparkles of darkness.

* * *

**_Follow, favorite or review if you liked? I wrote more on this chapter than I usually do- got carried away with writing, I guess. _**


	3. Chapter 3

**_Fragmented Hearts; Chapter II_**

* * *

_"Riku.."_

_"The door has opened..."_

_"We can go to other worlds..."_

The aqua-haired girl slowly opened her eyes, instantly groaning at the pain that was throbbing against her tender head. It felt like somebody had ferociously beaten her; she rubbed her eyes gingerly, wincing at the pain that arose from her arms at the action. Flashes of the island, what transpired before she blacked out, returned to her and she attempted to stand up, maybe too abruptly, as her legs gave out from under her causing her to topple to the floor. Mumbling curses, she propped herself up in a sitting position. At least she had some idea of why she ached so much. The battle scars weren't all that pleasant, but they didn't come as a surprise. Though she did feel a few prominent gashes on her body; the cut on her arm from the _thing _on the island had stopped bleeding, though it was still slightly gaping.

That was soon forgotten, however, when she took a moment to notice where she was, her eyes adjusting to her surroundings. She gasped rather loudly, her eyes widening in delight at the sight around her. This wasn't Destiny Islands. This was _another world._

The shock caused her to fall backwards, clashing with the brick wall that was behind her, the hard surface dotted with various cracks and crevices. She seemed to be in an alleyway-of-sorts, littered with boxes and barrels, some of them stacked on top of each other, bright yellow star symbols painted on the sides. Above her a street lamp gave off a minimal amount of illumination, just allowing her to see that the alleyway led off another area. The place she'd woken up in seemed to be dark; one look above her proved that it was night-time, thousands of stars twinkling above her, some with more intensity than others.

Gritting her teeth, she managed to grab onto a protruding part of the wall, hoisting herself upwards. The pain was slowly ceasing, though she still felt battered and bruised. Steadily, almost like a pensioner, she proceeded towards the area at the end of the alley which appeared brighter, a slight panic escalating the closer she got. _What if that.. thing was here? _She wasn't in a condition to walk properly, let alone fight. Surely if she got here, _somehow, _what else could be here?

Taking a deep breath, she warily crept out of the alleyway to see... that she was still alone. Xenosa didn't know whether to be relieved or not.

"This really is another world..." She exclaimed after a few seconds, a wide, playful grin breaking out on her battered face, the pain momentarily forgotten. The alleyway opened out onto a small set of quaint-looking buildings, which seemed to sell 'accessories' of some sort- a sign above one of them, a larger one, had the word plastered in large, glowing yellow letters. A set of stone steps led down to an empty square, with two street lights in the middle illuminating the space with a warm glow. Everything seemed to be made of dark sandy-colored stones, from the floor to the buildings; all of them had large wooden doors that had been colored seemingly random, unusual colors. They'd faded with slight age, however, as the original mahogany color was showing through at the edges. In the corner of the main plaza, a few chairs and tables remained untouched, candles flickering brightly, endlessly on them.

She'd never imagined that it would _actually _happen... But now she was here, she held no regrets. This was what she was subconsciously craving...

She couldn't enjoy it though, not yet. This thought made her shoulders sag a little. She couldn't enjoy her new-found freedom until she found her friends. Xenosa looked down, her dark Keyblade springing to life. Kairi had appeared, on Destiny Islands, with one of _these. _The whole thing still confused her greatly- _how? _

Could it help her find them?

As the thought left her the Keyblade disappeared, leaving behind only a shadow of sparkling light.

There was just one thought she couldn't get out of her head.

Why... _her?_

A barely noticeable shuffling noise behind Xenosa snatched her out of her thoughts and she frowned, turning around only to be face to face with one of those creatures from the island. Almost like it sensed she would need it, her Keyblade materialized again, appearing in a flash of luminescence. As soon as the creature had appeared, it was gone, eradicated by a single swing from her Keyblade. It disappeared in a mist of darkness, a single sparkle of red dissipating into the air above.

"Here, too? Seriously.." She sighed, turning around and feeling the uncomfortable, cold sensation of her Keyblade leaving her hand. Was it those things that destroyed her island? Was that how she got here? Unanswered questions egged at her mind, and she sighed, starting to explore to try and take her mind off it. How likely it would be to find her friends here, she didn't know, but she could at least start. When she approached the stone steps that led upwards, however, a deep, husky, and rather cold voice stopped her in her tracks.

"They'll come at you out of nowhere."

"What... will?" Xenosa crossed her arms at the figure which was now visible. It was a man, who seemed to be around twenty, maybe older, with shaggy dark brown hair which cut off around his shoulders, slightly spiked. He had a long, jagged scar across his rather handsome, structured face, to which she frowned. His blue eyes narrowed at her; his mouth pulled into a thin line. A white vest shirt covered his torso, a cropped, short sleeved leather jacket draped over his shoulders. A chain with a pendant sat on the bridge of his chest; various short belts wrapped around his right arm, matching the array of belts at his waist, attached to black slacks.

He didn't exactly give off a 'nice' vibe- she wasn't itching to act friendly with him in the slightest.

"And they'll keep on coming at you, as long as you continue to wield the Keyblade. But why? Why would it choose a kid like you?" He put two of his gloved fingers across the bridge of his nose, apparently lost in thought. It was then that Xenosa noticed the sword that was resting in his other hand, and stepped back defensively, weapon springing to life yet again in her hand. It dangled at her side, skimming her calf.

"Has anybody told you that you come across as a little rude?" She smirked, cocking her head slightly. "I wonder, do you have the bite to match that bark?"

"Let's see that Keyblade..." He gritted his teeth, quickening his strides towards Xenosa. She looked at her Keyblade, then him, and bared her teeth, her green eyes darkening.

"Over my dead body." She swung at his face, but he skilfully dodged it. Almost in a flash, he was behind her, bringing down his sword.

"Fine. Have it _your_ way."

Normally she would've been able to avoid it, easily, but her legs faltered and she doubled over, not quite moving quick enough and receiving a slight gash on her arm. Wincing at the pain, she stood up again, before jumping back onto the back of her palms, avoiding a nasty attack. Springing back up, a wave of dizziness pounded her head again and she staggered, clutching a pole tightly for support.

The man strode towards her menacingly and raised his hand, palm upwards, a ball of red and orange beginning to form at the centre. Before he could release the glowing ball, however, a flash of black ran into him, sending him over the ledge where they were standing and pounding him into the ground a good few feet below. He groaned, shaking his head, before glaring at the person who was now standing in his place, staring down at him. Fighting the waves of dizziness that was threatening her vision, she looked up at the figure, who was staring right back, seemed concerned. Focusing her eyes, against the plea's of wanting to shut them, she could see a young girl who had short, choppy black hair, a grey hairband covering her forehead. Brown eyes framed her small, childish face, and she was wearing a green top that ended above her belly-button, a yellow scarf wrapped around her neck. High white socks ended an inch or two before her _short _sandy-coloured shorts, a single blue belt wrapped around them. Large orange shoes matched her chunky orange gloves, starting from just below her elbow and ending at her knuckles, leaving her fingers bare. Glancing between Xenosa and the man, she put her hands on her hips, sighing exasperatedly.

"Leon! What in the worlds did you do to her?!" She extended a hand out to Xenosa and she hastily accepted it, part of her vision tinging black at the edges. She - she needed to stay awake...

"Most of that was not my doing." He stood up, swinging his large silver sword over his shoulder with ease."She needed to be tested, did she not?"

"If she's in this sort of condition, then no, Leon! Look at- her..." The girl looked down, only to see that the blue-haired had passed out, sprawled out on the ground, Keyblade still gripped in her hand tightly.

"_Look_ what you did!"

-o-

_Xenosa..._

_Something wrapped around her wrist, pulling her backwards. It was too dark to see anything at all. She struggled against the pressure on her wrist but it only gripped tighter, clinging to her._

_'Come to me, child.'_

-o-

Riku opened his eyes, vision blurred by darkness. He tried to blink it away, to no avail.

'_Tell me, boy. You wish to become strong? Strong enough to protect everyone dear to you?'_

The silver haired teen blinked in confusion, frowning. '_Who are you? Where am I?'_

_'My name is of no importance. But what is important are who you hold dear... __I can help you save them.'_

-o-

"Looks like things are worse than we thought_."_

_"_Leon, give her a chance..._"_

_"_Can you at least see the reason for my caution?_"_

_"_Of course... Hey, maybe it was nothing. Just because you saw-_"_

_"_Yuffie_."_

A pained groan escaped from Xenosa's lips, silencing the pair. Their worried eyes both flashed to her and the black-haired girl shrunk back instinctively, pressing up against the man's frame. Opening her eyes, Xenosa glanced at the pair before sitting up, frowning at their hard, yet concerned faces. She was now in a quaint little room; no doubt one of the two had put her in there. A thin blanket was draped over her body, a few spots of blood that were undoubtedly her own splattered on the cream fabric.

"What's up with you two?" She questioned, raising her eyebrow. They both shook their heads, the girl putting on an obviously fake smile.

"Nothing." The man replied, his mouth pulled into a tight line. Xenosa rolled her eyes, starting to move off the bed, the mattress creaking slightly at her movement.

"That really eases my suspicion, you know?" Putting one of her legs on the ground she winced at the pain, a slight gasp escaping her lips. The black haired girl rushed to her side, helping her back onto the bed despite her protests.

"You should really stay in bed... Arieth would be here to heal you, if she'd hurry up." She smiled halfheartedly before stepping away from Xenosa with an edge of repulsion, almost like she was scared of her. The bluenette's eyebrows furrowed, getting frustrated.

"Spill. Something's not right. I have no idea what the _hell_ is going on, and It'd be pretty nice if somebody would explain it to me instead of acting like I'm riddled with disease." She finished with a sigh, flopping back onto the bed. "Also, _who_ _are_ you two?"

"Heartless."

"_What_?"

"The creature that attacked you. Heartless. They can easily track you because you wield a Keyblade." The man shook his head, glancing at Xenosa's Keyblade which was propped up against the wall. She followed his line of slight and in a flash, it reappeared in her hand, full of warmth and comfort.

"You're the chosen one!" The black-haired girl chirped, putting her arms over her head. The sudden mood shift confused her, but she didn't pry. "I'm Yuffie. He's Squall!"

"...Heartless?" Xenosa frowned, turning her Keyblade around to inspect it. "This can defeat them?"

"_Leon." _The brunette snapped at Yuffie, before continuing. "Those without hearts. The darkness in people's hearts-that's what attracts them. And there is darkness within every heart." Leon crossed his toned arms, looking directly at her, his gaze hard. "Heartless are created when somebody loses a heart."

"Heartless fear the Keyblade, too. That's why they'll keep coming after you." Yuffie stepped closer to Xenosa, but an unrecognizable emotion passed through her eyes. Xenosa stayed silent, the Keyblade still in her hand. It was a lot to take in; though the information didn't shock her, almost like a lost part of her knew it already.

"I'm afraid that's not all..." Leon looked at Yuffie uncertainly, then back to the blue haired girl. "The Heartless are starting to invade worlds. By the looks of things, you're not as experienced as you'd need to be for the task ahead..." Leon put his back against the wall and closed his eyes. Xenosa scoffed.

"The Keyblade Master is the only person who can stop this." Yuffie looked at her with an urgency that made her rather uncomfortable.

"You want _me?_" She frowned, looking between the two, shaking her head. "Can't somebody else? Considering only today the fact that other worlds _exist _became apparent... "

"I'm afraid you don't really have a choice... Keyblade bearers are rare. Extremely rare. You're the first that's been heard of in a while."

"Of course she has a choice, Yuffie." A petite woman appeared in the now-open doorway, her hands laced together behind her back. She had a pale pink dress adorning her frame, a simple red ribbon holding back her mousy brown hair. "What she means, is that we really need you to help us. But don't feel like you _have _to. We're not forcing you."

"And this," Yuffie gestured to the woman in the doorway, "is Arieth."

"I appreciate all this, I really do. But I need to go find my-" Xenosa was cut off abruptly by Arieth holding her hand up, a silent interruption. She looked to Yuffie, who just nodded as a conformation to Arieth, who was now kneeling next to the confused girl. Her small, dainty hands hovered over her bruised limbs, a stark comparison from the pale complexion of Arieth to the blue and purple patches on Xenosa's skin. She frowned, looking at Arieth with slight worry.

"Cure." Arieth barely whispered, the word caressing the air, but it seemed to be sufficient enough as a green glow started spread from her fingertips, looping and circling in different patterns, finding it's way to Xenosa's legs. The green mist settled on her legs and began to absorb into her skin; to her amazement the cuts and bruises began to disappear, receding until there wasn't even a scar. When she was certain that she'd finished, Arieth stood up, smiling sincerely at Xenosa. It was a nice change from the uncomfortable air, she had to admit. Arieth seemed to be the only person there that wasn't holding something back, didn't act cautious of her, even though she had every right to.

"What.. was that?"

Arieth chuckled, raising her hand to her mouth, barely touching her lips with her fingertips. "Magic. I could teach you, if you'd lik-"

A high pitched scream emitted from Yuffie, cutting off the brunette, and Xenosa looked towards the source of the outburst to see that a Heartless had materialized behind the black-haired girl, but not one she'd seen the likes of before - this one had armor on most of its body, and unlike the shadows, this one didn't stand on all fours. Although this one didn't seem to be able to disappear into the ground like the others had, this one was a fair lot larger- and faster.

The heartless seemed to only focus on her, it's familiar yellow beady eyes locking onto hers. Xenosa lifted her arm up in a measly attempt to block it as it lunged at her; her Keyblade materialized from instinct, cutting through the armor and body of the heartless with ease. Within milliseconds it was gone, completely eradicated into dust. Before Xenosa could question the appearance of the heartless, however, another appeared in the corner of the room, limbs twitching as it advanced towards the group. Arieth and Yuffie hurried out through the door on the other side, the younger girl holding some kind of small, spiked weapon of sort. Xenosa practically jumped out of bed with, surprisingly, no pain watched as Yuffie threw a couple of her weapons at it, only for them to bounce off it and return to her.

"Are you ready to fight?" Leon pulled her arm, giving her no time to answer as they climbed from the window frame to the small porch a couple feet below. The heartless attempted to follow but the brunette jumped to the ground; swiftly landing and knocking away a few of the beings that had materialized below. The action only stunned them, however; it was apparent that they Keyblade, and the Keyblade alone, could completely get rid of them.

"Wait-What?!" She panicked, swinging her Keyblade at the heartless behind her. "I..." She bit her lip, jumping un-swiftly down to the ground below. As she landed her feet topped from under her, sending her to the ground with a thud. Groaning, Xenosa got back on her feet, glaring at Leon who was simply walking away. A weak pain shot through her leg as she attempted to follow him, her attention diverting when the heartless began to swarm around her feet.

"Find the leader, and they'll stop materializing. I'll protect Yuffie and Arieth, you go!"

"You're leaving me alone?!" Xenosa yelled, eliminating a couple of heartless, but when she looked up Leon had already gone, probably checking to see if Yuffie and Areith were alright. Sighing, she inspected her surroundings, finding herself in another unfamiliar place, a river running through the side opposite to the spot where she'd woken up in the unfamiliar room. No more heartless in sight. A large wooden door seemed to be the only exit from the alley; examining the area around her, checking it was safe, she pushed the doors open, stepping through into a bigger area- one which she'd never seen before. One which also didn't seem to have any sign of people that could help her. _Great._

Stepping forward, she expected some heartless to attack but none came; it felt eerily quiet. Something felt wrong; a sharp chill ran down her spine. The only sound she could hear was that of the fountain in front of her; the almost deafening crash of the water contrasted the silence.

A black blob appeared in the fountain; growing bigger until it morphed into the shape of the heartless she'd fought on the Island. It stood in place, moving side to side in the water, it's glowing eyes the only thing distinguishable. Slowly it seemed to multiply, random dots appearing quicker than she could count. Right on cue, her Keyblade materialized, brimming with power. A grin tugged at her lips, watching as the heartless began to swarm around her. It almost felt thrilling. Holding up the black hilt of her weapon, she snapped it down in a swift motion, her other hand clenched into a fist.

As they leaped at her, she countered, her grin widening as they fell back, some of them disappearing into black mist. She spun, her Keyblade slashing through the bodies, the multitude of heartless disappearing with minimal effort. She soon lost count of how many she'd killed, the rush overtaking her body as she moved faster and faster, until she was like a blur, her body moving like she was _built _for it. The movement came naturally to her; It surprised her and fuelled her at the same time.

"Thunder!" A loud, nasally voice spilt through the air, snapping Xenosa momentarily out of her fighting-induced trance as the last Heartless disappeared due a crack of yellow light splitting through the air, seemingly appearing from nothing. Spinning around breathlessly, almost falling over at the sudden interruption, the sight of what was in front of her almost made her laugh. Instead, a snort managed to escape through her nose.

A duck.. and... a dog?

"Who... What?" Xenosa spoke, mainly to herself, cocking her head to the side slightly. The duck stood up straight and closed his eyes, then prodding the dog-looking creature to do the same- who did, albeit clumsy- before stepping towards her, his hand outstretched.

"I'm Donald. And this," he motioned to the dog, "is Goofy." The dog proceeded to smile... goofily. "We were sent to find you. To find the Key." He carried on, pointing to Xenosa's glowing Keyblade, which disappeared a second later.

"Sent to find _me? _Why?" Xenosa frowned, crossing her arms. The fact that she'd just seen two animals talking didn't faze her as much as it should. She'd had enough of being bombarded by strangers, and the growing frustration of that clouded everything else. Not only had she just been _taken _from her island, she'd found out that she could wield a _Keyblade_ that could defeat Heartless, things she didn't even know existed, in the process losing her friends to god-knows-where, then she's told that a duck and a _fucking dog _was sent to find her. All she wanted to do was find her friends, make sense of what was going on- and she had a feeling it related to her past, a past she could not remember. _Then _she could figure out the rest.

"The thing is... we don't know." Donald scratched the back of his head, looking slightly uneasy.

"The king told us to find the Key." Goofy smiled, looking at his companion. "So here we are! So, uh.. What's your name anyway?"

"My day couldn't get any worse..." Luna sat down on a nearby bench, putting her head in her hands. "Xenosa."

"Well, _Xenosa_, if you'd look up, I think it could..." Donald had an edge of uncertainty, almost panic, to his voice, and when she looked up, she could see why.

Towering over the three was a massive _thing-_ that was the best way she could describe it-which each of it's limbs seemed to hover over each other, joints which appeared connected, _held _like they were connected, like invisible strings. It was fully covered in different shades of purple with a silver metal guard over it's face. A face that was weirdly rolling upside-down every couple of seconds as it hovered over the rest of it's strange body. Her Keyblade sprung to life, brimming with energy. She pressed her palms against the bench and jumped up on them, spinning herself off the bench and landing on her feet seconds before a limb came barreling towards her, towards the _Key, _and completely destroyed the frail wooden structure. The metal body turned towards the three as it began to slowly walk towards them, each step echoing loudly though the area which they were in as the 'feet' crashed to the floor.

"What are you waiting for!" Donald shouted towards Xenosa as she stared blankly at it, mainly from shock and thoughts along the lines of _whatthehellisgoingonwhatthefuckisthatthing_. "Attack!"

At the instruction Goofy quite literally twirled quickly towards the figure, using his shield as a weapon, his body spinning quicker as he gained speed. As wind began collecting around his limbs, he crashed into it rather loudly. It barely affected it, however, as it reacted by swinging at Goofy wildly, metal limbs moving through the air, sending him crashing into the wall, hard.

Narrowing her eyes, Xenosa ran towards the figure, her black Keyblade skimming the ground as she ran, reverberating a metal screech through the air. This seemed to stun it, giving her an opening to attack it's legs; the clash of metal on metal was loud, but her Keyblade sunk into it like it was attacking flesh. Within a few hits, a leg was gone, green orbs scattering onto the ground in it's place. Warily, she held out her arm over them, bending over slightly to do so. They absorbed into her skin, albeit like Aerith's spell; it healed a cut she didn't know she had on her hand and filled her with a renewed energy, a green glow weakly pulsing on her skin where they absorbed, lasting only a few seconds.

Looking back up to the figure, she barely had time to react before it picked her up in its cold, alloy fingers; it pulled its arm backwards and launched her through the air, her Keyblade dropped on the ground from the sudden assault. Xenosa couldn't even manage a scream to escape her lips; all that came out was a panicked breath as she flailed through the air and fell roughly in a pile of rubble, squeezing her eyes shut moments before she landed. She coughed, attempting to move her arm to hoist herself up; although she felt pain, she could move, which seemed like a good sign. Opening her eyes, she noticed she'd landed in a pile of scrap, and had dozens of cuts and what would be bruises, which explained the faint sting she could feel on most of her body. She also saw the two animals attacking the heap of moving metal to no avail; it was clear she, weilding the Keyblade, was the only one that could harm it, for some reason. Was that a.. Heartless, too?

"Fire!" Donald screamed into the air, sending a burst of flame from his staff, which struck the figure square in the chest. All they were doing was stalling it, not doing any damage significant enough to stop it. Xenosa lifted herself upwards, a few pieces of rubble falling from her as she moved herself. A sharp pain ran through her ankle but she ignored it, limping towards the group, summoning her Keyblade. It flashed into view, warm in her hand, and she threw it upwards, like a dagger, into the unsuspecting metal back of the towering figure. It stilled, and Xenosa's breath caught in her throat, pain forgotten about.

It vibrated a couple of times before vanishing, a light pink orb releasing from it's chest.

"What's that?" Xenosa pondered, looking back to see the duck was now standing next to her, following her gaze.

"When you defeat a Heartless using a Keyblade, it returns the heart... well, we don't know where to." Donald sighed, hitting Goofy lightly on the arm, who had just joined the two. "Goofy, you big palooka! Why'd you attack like that?"

"I wanted to help, that's all..." The dog sighed, looking the ground. He noticed Xenosa's angled ankle and moved to give her support; she nodded thankfully.

"Xenosa, why don't you join us?" Donald questioned, looking up at her expectantly. "We were told to find you, as all."

"We can go to other worlds on our vessel!" Goofy jumped happily, almost tripping over in the process, his shield flying across to the pile of rubble she'd fallen in. Xenosa giggled as he ran to pick it up, but stopped abruptly after and looked at the sky.

"But... I have people I need to look for." She whispered, frowning. No trace of any of them was making her lose hope by the second.

"Xenosa, you should go with them." Leon's voice joined theirs, and she turned around to see that the three strangers had joined her again. While his face was cold and expressionless like always, Yuffie was grinning happily, and Arieth had a small heartwarming smile to her face.

"If you go with them, you may find them." Arieth encouraged her, noticing her reluctance, while Leon looked away.

"If they were here, we probably would have found them already." Yuffie smiled halfheartedly at Xenosa and grasped her hands within hers, though she could sense the black-haired girl's careful touch. "I know what it's like to lose you home, Xenosa. Just don't lose sight of what you're aiming for."

The girl looked up, her green eyes troubled, though she nodded.

"So, get ready guys! You have a long journey ahead of you.."

-o-

Xenosa sat atop the roof of the gizmo shop, looking down at the deserted street. Her mind wasn't on how bare it was, though.

'_I'm not afraid of the darkness.'_

Riku...

"What the hell happened that night?" She spoke out to no one, not expecting a certain silver haired boy to be eavesdropping behind her, holding onto the side of one of the beams, scowling. "I don't know what to do..."

_'The door has opened..."_

She held the good luck charm Kairi gave her, moving it so it caught the light of one of the street lamps. Xenosa sighed, biting her lip. Closing her palm over the charm, she looked up at the twinkling sky, not wanting to leave, a nagging feeling that something was going to go wrong. For the first time since she found herself on that beach, she felt _alone. _


End file.
